About HTTV
HTTV is a local 501(c)(3) non-profit cable access station and video production company. It serves as a hyper-local media outlet (broadcast and web) for immediate and surrounding communities. The station is partially funded by the City of Summit, special grants and contributions from its viewers. Originally formed to serve just five core towns – Summit, Millburn/Short Hills, Berkeley Heights, Springfield on Comcast TV 36. Today, with the addition of Verizon TV 33, our broadcast signal reaches parts of Essex, Morris, Somerset, and Union County. A total of 32 towns with a population of over a half a million on. HTTV Produces unique and original long running shows covering many ranges of topic.
| (Figures are from 2010 Census rounded to the nearest 100; asterisks denote original core of five towns) | |||||
| TOWN | POPULATION/County | APPROX. HOUSEHOLDS IN TOWN | COMCAST TV-36 | VERIZON TV-33 | |
| Berkeley Heights * | 13,200 | U | 4,500 | YES | YES |
| Millburn/Short Hills * | 20,100 | E | 6,900 | YES | YES |
| New Providence * | 12,200 | U | 4,400 | YES | YES |
| Springfield * | 15,800 | U | 6,500 | YES | YES |
| Summit * | 21,500 | U | 7,700 | YES | YES |
| Bernards Twp | 26,700 | S | 9,800 | – | YES |
| Chatham Boro | 9,000 | M | 3,100 | – | YES |
| Chatham Twp | 10,500 | M | 3,900 | – | YES |
| Cranford | 22,600 | U | 8,600 | – | YES |
| East Hanover | 11,200 | M | 3,900 | – | YES |
| Florham Park | 11,700 | M | 4,000 | – | YES |
| Harding | 3,800 | M | 1,500 | – | YES |
| Hillside | 21,400 | U | 7,100 | – | YES |
| Kenilworth | 7,900 | U | 2,800 | – | YES |
| Livingston | 29,400 | E | 10,000 | – | YES |
| Long Hill Twp | 8,700 | M | 3,100 | – | YES |
| Madison | 15,800 | M | 5,500 | – | YES |
| Maplewood | 23,900 | E | 8,200 | – | YES |
| Mendham | 5,000 | M | 1,700 | – | YES |
| Mendham Twp | 5,900 | M | 2,000 | – | YES |
| Morris Plains | 5,500 | M | 2,100 | – | YES |
| Morristown | 18,400 | M | 7,400 | – | YES |
| Mountainside | 6,700 | U | 2,500 | – | YES |
| North Plainfield | 21,936 | S | 7,448 | – | YES |
| Plainfield | 49,800 | U | 15,200 | – | YES |
| Roselle Park | 13,300 | U | 5,000 | – | YES |
| Scotch Plains | 23,500 | U | 8,600 | – | YES |
| South Orange | 16,200 | E | 5,500 | – | YES |
| Warren | 15,300 | S | 5,100 | – | YES |
| Westfield | 30,300 | U | 10,600 | – | YES |
| West Orange | 46,200 | E | 16,800 | – | YES |
| Union Twp | 56,600 | U | 19,600 | – | YES |
| TOTAL 32 Towns | 600,036 | 211,048 | Comcast TV-36 | VZ-FiOS TV-33 | |
| Essex County – 5 | |||||
| Morris County – 11 | |||||
| Somerset County – 3 | |||||
| Union County – 13 | |||||
Our Purpose
The purpose of HTTV is to provide community news; coverage of local events and municipal government meetings; information regarding fitness, health and finance topics; and programs about culture, art, education, religion, sports and other subjects of local interest. We care as much about how we communicate as to what we communicate.
Our Mission
Showcase the people, events and issues important to our families, friends and neighbors. The information provided through our shows educates our viewers/residents to help them better understand and appreciate the community circles we all live within and among. We are a vehicle to encourage viewers to become more involved in the community and to fully engage in their towns. This is our focus.
Our Plan
HTTV is synonymous with the best quality in local access programming. We lead. This is how people know and select us.
A Brief History of HTTV
Communities on Cable, Inc., a non-profit corporation, began its operations in September 1980 as a public access channel with two black and white cameras and minimal other equipment provided through the generosity of Central Presbyterian Church and the Junior Leagues of Summit and the Oranges/Short Hills. The lines which carried the television signal to viewers’ homes were provided by Suburban Cablevision of East Orange. The fledging local access station served a five town area consisting of Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Millburn/Short Hills, Springfield and Summit. The station began using the name “TV-36” because it could be found on cable channel 36 on Suburban Cablevision.
TV-36 programming grew and evolved over time. Early programming consisted of one series produced by Central Presbyterian Church and two local news “magazine” shows: TV-Millburn and This Week in Summit. Gradually, programming grew to encompass a variety of shows that appealed to a widely diverse audience in the five town area. Over the years we have been privileged to receive several coveted ‘Telly Awards’ in recognition of outstanding local regional programs.
The means by which viewers access our signal has evolved over the years as well. Suburban Cablevision became Comcast Cablevision of New Jersey. In 2008 a second provider, Verizon, began wiring homes in the five town area. Our station was assigned to channel 33 on Verizon Fios. And to our surprise we soon learned that our signal was showing up on Verizon channel 33 in municipalities outside the original five towns. We now have viewers in Chatham Boro, Chatham Township, Cranford, Florham Park, Kenilworth, Maplewood, West Orange and Union.
The station’s Board of Directors realized that the presence of the station on two different channels, 36 on Comcast and 33 on Verizon, made the name TV-36 obsolete. Thus, the station adopted a new name, HomeTowne Television, starting in the fall of 2008. In the Summer of 2019, HomeTowne Television has rebranded and changed its name to HTTV.